Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
With Ontario reporting 2,123 new cases today, the seventh straight day of cases over 2,000, the Ontario government announced a province-wide shutdown taking effect at 12:01 a.m. on Boxing Day (December 26). The shutdown — with strict public health measures including no social gatherings outside of your own household — will last 28 days in southern Ontario and 14 days in northern Ontario,
With today’s new cases, the seven-day average of daily cases across the province has increased by 26 to 2,276.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 23 new cases to report and 12 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region increasing by 13 to 109.
Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (611), Peel (480), York (192), and Windsor-Essex (138).
There are double-digit increases in Waterloo (94), Halton (92), Durham (91), Niagara (68), Middlesex-London (64), Simcoe Muskoka (61), Hamilton (36), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (33), Ottawa (32), Southwestern Public Health (21), Haldimand-Norfolk (19), Brant (16), and Eastern Ontario Health Unit (11), with smaller increases in Thunder Bay (9), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (8), Lambton (8), Hastings Prince Edward (6), Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (6), Peterborough (6), and Grey Bruce (6).
The remaining 10 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with only 2 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s cases, 51% are among people under 40 years of age, with the highest number of cases (785) among people ages 20 to 39 followed by 577 cases among people ages 40 to 59. With 1,654 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has decreased by 0.1% to 85.3%. The average positivity rate across Ontario since December 16 has increased by 0.8% to 4.7%, meaning that 47 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on December 20.
Ontario is reporting 17 new COVID-19 deaths today, all of which are in long-term care facilities. Hospitalizations have increased by 40 to 915, although over 10 per cent of Ontario hospitals did not submit data for this report. There are 4 more patients with COVID-19 in ICUs and 4 fewer patients on ventilators.
A total of 54,505 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 15,440 to 39,106.
There are 154 new cases in Ontario schools today, an increase of 21 from December 16, with 119 student cases and 35 staff cases. There are 18 new cases in licensed child care settings, an increase of 5 from December 16, with 8 cases among children and 10 cases among staff.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 23 new cases to report, including 16 in Northumberland, 4 in Peterborough, 2 in Hastings Prince Edward, and 1 in Kawartha Lakes. There are no new cases in Haliburton.
An additional 12 cases have been resolved, including 8 in Northumberland, 2 in Hastings Prince Edward, and 2 in Peterborough.
Of today’s cases in Ontario schools, there is 1 new staff case to report at St. Mary Catholic Secondary School in Cobourg. None of the cases reported today in licensed child care settings are in the greater Kawarthas region.
There are currently 109 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 13 from yesterday, including 49 in Northumberland, 30 in Hastings Prince Edward (11 in Quinte West, 6 in Belleville, 8 in Prince Edward County, 2 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, and 3 in Central Hastings), 26 in Peterborough, and 4 in Kawartha Lakes. There are no active cases in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 274 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (243 resolved with 5 deaths), 221 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (198 resolved with 32 deaths), 210 in Northumberland County (160 resolved with 1 death), 27 in Haliburton County (27 resolved with no deaths), and 252 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (217 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on November 23.
Province-wide, there have been 158,053 confirmed cases, an increase of 2,123 from yesterday, with 134,867 cases resolved (85.3% of all cases), an increase of 1,654 from yesterday. There have been 4,167 deaths, an increase of 17 from yesterday, with 2,581 deaths in long-term care homes, an increase of 17 from yesterday. The number of hospitalizations has increased by 40 to 915, although over 10 per cent of Ontario hospitals did not submit data for this report. There are 4 more patients with COVID-19 in ICUs and 4 fewer patients on ventilators. A total of 7,426,037 tests have been completed, an increase of 54,505 from yesterday, with 39,106 tests under investigation, a decrease of 15,440 from yesterday.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 12 p.m. the previous day. Data from local health units is more current and is usually reflected in the provincial data the following day. There may be discrepancies between the Ontario data reported today (which is from yesterday) and the local health unit data reported today (which is from today).
Peterborough Public Health
Peterborough Public Health’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends.
Confirmed positive: 274 (increase of 4)
Active cases: 26 (increase of 2)
Close contacts: 110 (increase of 5)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Resolved: 243 (increase of 2)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 12 (no change)*
Total tests completed: Over 38,450 (no change)
Institutional outbreaks: Fairhaven in Peterborough (no change)
*Peterborough Regional Health Centre reports that, as of December 18, there is currently 1 patient with COVID-19 on an inpatient unit.
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s service area is the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.
The health unit provides reports from Monday to Saturday, excluding statutory holidays. These numbers are from December 20 and 21.
Confirmed positive: 458, including 221 in Kawartha Lakes, 210 in Northumberland, 27 in Haliburton (increase of 17, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 16 in Northumberland)*
Active cases: 53, including 4 in Kawartha Lakes and 49 in Northumberland (net increase of 11)
Probable cases: 0 (no change)
High-risk contacts: 344, including 35 in Kawartha Lakes, 180 in Northumberland, and 5 in Haliburton (net increase of 33)**
Hospitalizations (total to date): 18, including 11 in Kawartha Lakes, 6 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change)
Deaths: 33 (no change)
Resolved: 385, including 198 in Kawartha Lakes, 160 in Northumberland, 27 in Haliburton (increase of 8 in Northumberland)
Institutional outbreaks: Extendicare Kawartha Lakes in Lindsay, Case Manor Care Community in Bobcaygeon (no change)
*The total case counts have been adjusted to reflect regular data cleaning. This has resulted in 1 additional case in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumblerand.
**This total includes 117 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
The health unit provides daily reports, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 252 (increase of 2)
Active cases: 30 (no change)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Currently hospitalized: 2 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change)
Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change)
Resolved: 217 (increase of 2)
Swabs completed: 15,867 (no change)
Institutional outbreaks: Seasons Dufferin Centre in Quinte West (no change)
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 158,053 (increase of 2,123)
Resolved: 134,867 (increase of 1,654, 85.3% of all cases)
Hospitalized: 915 (increase of 40)*
Hospitalized and in ICU: 265 (increase of 4)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 152 (decrease of 4)
Deaths: 4,167 (increase of 17)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 2,581 (increase of 17)
Total tests completed: 7,426,037 (increase of 54,505)
Tests under investigation: 39,106 (decrease of 15,440)
*Over 10 per cent of Ontario hospitals did not submit data for this report.
For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.
